Identification Document Verification System

1. A method for enabling a user to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to an identification document or document that has an identification function, including the steps of: associating a telephone number with the document; the user establishing a communications link which identifies the telephone number; verifying that the telephone number with which the communications link is established corresponds with the telephone number associated with the document; and enabling the user to effect an action with respect to the records pertaining to the document only if the verification is successful.

2. The method according to claim 1 including the additional steps of associating a personal identification number with the document and subsequent to verifying that the telephone number with which the communications link is established corresponds with the telephone number associated with the document, receiving a personal identification number from the user and only enabling the user to effect an action with respect to the records pertaining to the document if the verification is successful and the personal identification number received from the user corresponds with the personal identification number associated with the document.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the document has its own identification means and is selected from the group including: Passport; Credit Card; Cash Access Card; EFIPOS Card; Transaction Card; Pilots License; Driver's License; Health Care Card; Boat License; or Area access Card.

4. The method according to claim 1 including the additional steps of associating a document number with the document and subsequent to verifying that the telephone number with which the communications link is established corresponds with the telephone number associated with the document, receiving a document number from the user and only enabling the user to effect an action with respect to the records pertaining to the document if the verification is successful and the document number received from the user corresponds to the document number associated with the document.

5. The method according to claim 1 further including verifying the telephone number with which the communications link is established using a calling line identification service.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further including verifying that the telephone number with which the communications link is established corresponds with the telephone number associated with the document using a calling number display service.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further including verifying that the telephone number with which the communications link is established corresponds with the telephone number associated with the document by disconnecting the initial call by the user and placing a call to the user wherein the call to the user is based upon information obtained from a calling line identification or calling number display service.

8. The method according to claim 7 further including, prior to disconnecting the initial call from a user, providing the user with a temporary code and upon placing a call to the user, requesting the temporary code, and verifying that the user has provided the correct temporary code.

9. The method according to claim 1 including the step of the issuing authority of a document obtaining the telephone number of a user at the time the user applies for a document.

10. The method according to claim 1 including the step of the issuing authority of a document obtaining personal details of the user at the time the user applies to the issuing authority for the document and from the personal details the issuing authority establishing a telephone number for the user.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the telephone number associated with the document corresponds to a user's home telephone number.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the telephone number associated with a document is a user's mobile telephone number.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the telephone number associated with a document is a user's business telephone number.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the telephone number associated with the document is a telephone number corresponding to a trusted friend or relative of a user.

15. The method according to claim 1 including the step of the issuing authority of a document obtaining a personal identification number from a user at the time the user applies to the issuing authority for a document.

16. The method according to claim 1 including the step of the issuing authority of a document selecting a personal identification number for a user and communicating the personal identification number to the user independently of the transmission of the document.

17. The method according to claim 2 including the receiving a user request to change the personal identification number associated with the document of the user.

18. The method according to claim 1 wherein a verification server is connected to a telephony network and the step of establishing a communications link includes establishing the communications link in response to the user dialing a telephone number that connects the user's telephone to the verification server.

19. The method according to claim 1 including the step of recording details relating to an attempt to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to an identification document or document that has an identification function in the event that verification is unsuccessful.

20. The method according to claim 19 including the step of the issuing authority receiving a report of a failed verification thus enabling the issuing authority to take appropriate action with respect to the relevant document for which an action was attempted to be effected.

21. The method according to claim 1 wherein the action that is effected with respect to records pertaining to an identification document or document that has an identification function includes at least one of validating the document; canceling the document; or reinstating the document.

22. The method according to claim 1 including the step of transmitting a document to an intended recipient with the document initially invalid for use.

23. The method according to claim 1 wherein an entity independent of the issuing authority of a document receives calls from a user seeking to effect an action with respect to the records pertaining to a document the method including the additional step of the entity transmitting the telephone number and/or any other information to the issuing authority and receiving an indication as to whether the verification has been successful.

24. The method according to claim 23 including the additional step of the entity receiving a request to effect an action from a user, transmitting the request to the issuing authority and receiving a response from the issuing authority indicating whether or not the attempt to effect the action has been successful.

25. A system for enabling a user to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to an identification document or document that has an identification function, including: a network, within which the user is able to establish a communications link; a computer system including a processor and memory for storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor perform the steps of identifying the telephone number with which a communications link is established; verifying that the telephone number corresponds with a telephone number associated with the document; and enabling the user to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to the document only upon successful verification that the telephone number corresponds with the telephone number identified as the number with which a communications link was established.

26. The system according to claim 25 wherein the step of identifying the telephone number includes interfacing with at least one of the following: a calling line identification service; calling number display service; or a call back service.

27. The system according to claim 25 , wherein the computer executable instructions further perform, when executed by the processor, the step of receiving a personal identification number from a user over the communications link and verifying that the personal identification number obtained from the user corresponds with a personal identification number previously associated with the document.

28. The system according to claim 25 including a verification server connected to the communications network such that the communications link established by the user connects the user's telephone to the verification server.

29. The system according to claim 28 wherein the verification server includes an interactive voice response gateway configured to prompt users for relevant information and receive the relevant information in response to the prompts.

30. The system according to claim 28 wherein the verification server includes a database containing records including telephone numbers associated with documents for the purpose of verifying the originating telephone numbers of incoming connections.

31. The system according to claim 28 wherein the verification server is operable to create an electronic connection with a database maintained by an issuing authority of a document.

32. The system according to claim 31 wherein the step of identifying that the telephone number corresponds with the telephone number associated with the document and the step of verifying that the personal identification number corresponds with a personal identification number associated with the document includes opening a connection to the issuing authority database to request verification that the telephone number identified from the user's establishment of a communications link and the personal identification number received from the user over the communications link correspond with the numbers associated with the document according to the issuing authority's database.

33. The system according to claim 32 wherein the step of verifying further includes receiving a response from an issuing authority's database indicating whether the telephone number and personal identification number received from a user are valid or invalid.

34. The system according to claim 25 wherein the step of enabling the user to effect an action includes providing a user with a menu of numbered options to access available actions.

35. The system according to claim 34 wherein the menu is presented to a user by a synthesized voice, and wherein the step of enabling further includes enabling the user to effect the desired action by entering a number corresponding to the desired action by selection of the appropriate touch-tone key of a telephone handset.

36. The system according to claim 35 wherein the step of enabling further includes establishing a connection with an issuing authority's database, transmitting a request to effect an action selected by a user to the database, and receiving a response from the issuing authority database indicating whether the attempt to effect the action has been successful.

37. A method for enabling a user to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to an identification document or document that has identification function, including the steps of: establishing a communications link; and transmitting an instruction to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to the document over the communications link; wherein the establishment of the communications link identifies the telephone number from which the link is established at the receiving end of said communications link, and wherein the user is only permitted to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to the document if the telephone number corresponds with a telephone number previously associated with the document.

38. The method according to claim 37 wherein a personal identification number is also associated with a document, the method further including the additional step of obtaining a personal identification number from a user and transmitting the personal identification number over the communications link and only allowing the instructions to effect an action to occur if the transmitted personal identification number corresponds to the personal identification number previously associated with the document.

39. A method for enabling a user to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to an identification document or document that has an identification function, including the steps of: the user establishing a communications link; receiving credentials from the user and identifying a telephone number from which the user established the communications link; and authorizing the user to effect an action with respect to the document only if the telephone number from which the communications link is established corresponds with a telephone number previously associated with the document.

40. The method according to claim 39 including the additional step of associating a personal identification number with a document and obtaining from the user over the communications link a personal identification number and only effecting an action requested by a user when the personal identification number obtained from the user corresponds with the personal identification number previously associated with the document.

41. A method for enabling a user to effect an action with respect to records pertaining to an identification document, or a document that has an identification function, the method comprising: the user establishing a communications link wherein during the step of establishing the link, receiving the calling number from the user and providing the user with a temporary code; disconnecting the communications link and subsequent re-establishment of the communications link with the user by placing a call to the number received from the user and requesting the previously provided temporary code; confirming successful establishment of a communications link in the event that the temporary codes provided and subsequently received match; verifying that the telephone number from which the user established the initial communications link corresponds with the telephone number associated with a document; and enabling the user to effect an action with respect to the records pertaining to the document only if the verifying is successful.

42. The method according to claim 41 further including associating a personal identification number with a document and obtaining from the user over the communications link a personal identification number and only effecting an action requested by a user when the personal identification number obtained from the user corresponds with the personal identification number previously associated with the document.